The storms that hit Europe during week 28 have caused a widespread decline in watermelon consumption volumes, although these are expected to reactivate due to the good weather prospects for week 29.
Spanish watermelon prices remain stable, at around 0.40 Euro per kilo for the first-class category in the export markets.
In the domestic market there is a notable lack of consumption and a preference for more affordable varieties rather than for quality. Prices vary between 0.10 and 0.15 Euro per kilo at origin.
At the moment, the Spanish watermelon production comes from Valencia and Murcia, with a remarkable decline in Valencia's production due, in part, to the hailstorms that have affected the area over the past two weeks. This gap will remain unfilled for at least ten days, when Castile-La Mancha's watermelons will enter the market. For this reason, prices are expected to rebound until then and remain high until the end of the season, as long as the weather allows it.
"Sales are now going slower both in the export and the domestic markets, and if production volumes had not fallen, it would have been impossible to sell the fruit," says the manager of a watermelon trader.
Regarding consumer trends, "we are observing a growing preference for black seedless watermelons of the Fashion type over striped watermelons in the most demanding markets, such as Germany. However, the effects of the crisis generally lead consumers to seek cheaper prices, and thus striped watermelons," he explains.
As for quality, it is worth noting that this season's watermelons reach smaller calibres compared to the average of the previous campaign.